Indigo raises $100M to help grow hardier crops

The fungi and bacteria that live inside plants are doing a lot more than hitching a ride. Those tiny creatures can influence how well plants grow, helping them absorb nutrients and boosting their ability to survive extreme weather.

One Boston company thinks it can alter that microscopic mix to create super crops that can thrive in stressful conditions. And investors are paying attention, staking Indigo Agriculture Inc. with a fresh financing round of $100 million.

Although its exact methods are confidential, Indigo said it creates new blends of naturally occurring microbes that can influence how plants grow. Those microorganisms aren’t modified before they’re applied to a seed, setting the company apart from crop improvements based on genetic engineering or chemical treatments, chief executive David Perry said.